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A Review Of 2005 Game Hardware News
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Next Generation published an article earlier today that does a good job summarizing what the big three have been up to this year regarding hardware. The article mentions everything from PS2’s $149 fixed price to the Xbox 360’s launch shortages. And naturally, the article also includes talk of Nintendo’s Revolution controller.
While the article doesn’t feature any new content, it’s certainly interesting to look back and see what Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft were up to this year. Reading about what unfolded at this year’s E3 does bring back some fond memories but in all honesty, it just makes us anticipate E3 ‘06 that much more.
Read More 
| Next Generation
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Over at the TeamXbox Forums, someone put together a tutorial on how to improve the Perfect Dark Zero play experience for those who just can’t get away from playing the game like Halo 2:
I’ve seen that I wasn’t one having problems with aiming in PDZ, theres been at least 2-3 threads a day popping up about the aiming system, with even more negative responses in it, some people even say they hate the game because of it. Most people adjust the sensitivity and give up when they still can’t aim, I’ve experimented and experimented and found settings that make the game much easier to play, and when it’s easier, of course it’s more fun.
If you set your profile up like this, you’ll notice you get way more headshot kills, and kills period.
Profile Options > Controls
Basics:
* Control Style: Standard
* Auto Aim Style: On or Off, doesn’t make much of a difference, in this game if the small crosshair is over an opponent, the shot is going to hit.
* Sensitivity: 75-100 seem to be the best.
* Invert Y: Up to you.
The most important part:* X/Y Sensitivity: Off - Most console FPS have Y Slower than X as default, but in PDZ they decided to make it so the X and Y axis are the same speed, it may sound silly, but this makes a HUGE difference when changed.
* Y Sensitivity: 45-60 - The Higher your X is, adjust it appropriatly with the Y. This is where you’ll be getting more headshots.
* Fast Look: OFF - Fast Look is a stupid feature. Basically when you push your analog stick all the way in ANY direction, it will spin you around in less than a second, making precise aiming almost impossible.
Optional:Options > Game Setup
* Camera Bob: Off, Camera Bob is annoying to me, but it won’t really affect your aiming too much.
After I changed these options, this game is almost as fluid as Halo now, the only thing I can’t fix is the Zoom Sensitivity.
Read More | TeamXbox
Latest Xbox Live Backwards Compatibiliy Update Breaks Halo 2
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: First Person Shooters, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
So, we were feeling nostalgic last night and decided to play a little Halo 2 on the Xbox 360. Earlier in the day, there had been an update to the backwards compatibility list, and the Xbox 360 prompted us to download it before continuing with the gaming session. After the update was applied, we fired up Halo 2, only to find that it had been “broken.” How so? We have a 46” widescreen HDTV in our lab, and Halo 2 has always played in its widescreen mode. This time, it was in a 4x3 box, squeezed so that everything was really skinny. I made sure the aspect ratio of the TV hadn’t been changed, but when I changed it to 4x3, it was even thinner. So basically, the latest update has rendered playing Halo 2 in widescreen 720p non-existent. Luckily, it looks like the right people are aware of the problem, and a fix should be released later today.
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Xbox 360 Owners: Grab Windows Media Center 2005 Today For $115
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Xbox 360,
This one is a quick heads up for current, and possibly future, Xbox 360 owners. If you are looking to take full advantage of the Windows Media Connect infrastructure on your home network, then you need a PC with Windows Media Center 2005 installed. Newegg has a special on the software running today only, with a pricetag of about $115. From personal experience, we can tell you that this isn’t too shabby for the extra functionality that it brings. Of course, this won’t change the fact that your Xbox 360 won’t play Divx. Can’t win ‘em all.
In Major Nelson’s recent “blogcast”, he states that Microsoft will “probably not” ever support DivX (through Windows Media Center) on Xbox 360. He’s vocal about the fact that it was likely due to people using the popular codec to violate copyright and “backup” DVDs. So apparently all of us who use DivX to encode our home movies to save on storage space are out of luck? Larry…there are a lot of legitimate uses for DivX. Sure, people are using it to violate copyright, but don’t paint everyone with the same brush. DivX is a fantastic codec for people who create their own content and want it to take up the least amount of space possible, while maintaining good video quality.
Read More | Major Nelson
Let Us Know Your Xbox Live Gamertag!
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
With all of the new
fresh meat
people on Xbox Live with the release of the Xbox 360, we figured we would gather the Gamertags of the readers to make it easier to find people to add to your Friends List to play against on Live - and gloat to over your latest Gamer Points achievements. We have set up a thread on our forum where we would love for you to post your Gamertag. We will keep the list nice and tidy for you right at the top.
Read More | Gear Live Forums: Reader Gamertags
The Xbox 360 is only 7 days old and it’s already been blinged out. When J Allard said to take the Xbox 360 out of their hands and make it your own, Llamma’s Adventures did a little more than just slap on a new faceplate. Their work on the Xbox 360 is just plain awesome. Their mod sports a window, cathode lights, an added fan for air flow, custom paint, a blue Ring of Light, and a 60 GB laptop drive in addition to the 20 GB already on the console. You can be sure we’ll be attempting that cool controller LED mod.
Read More | Llamma Adventures with the Xbox 360
Xbox 360’s Loose Fiber Optic Cable Connection
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Xbox 360,
We have been hearing from a lot of people that have experienced their fiber optic digital audio cable not sitting in the aduio slot on the Xbox 360 High Definition A/V cable. We even experience this phenomenon, as we don’t hear or feel that satisfying “click” when we plug the optical cable in - and it will fall out with the slightest tug. Anyone else?
Kameo: Elements of Power Quick Review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Adventure, Reviews, Xbox 360,
Kameo: Elements of Power is one of the first party launch titles available on the Xbox 360, courtesy of Rare. This is the one that has been in development since the Nintendo 64 days, so we were expecting excellent presentation and gameplay. The opening cinematic alone was visually breathtaking.
The beginning of the game explains that Kameo’f family is being held hostage at the top of the castle, as the elves and trolls are now at battle. You need to morph into different life forms in order to make it there to save them, and the game shows you the strengths of each form Kameo can take on. To make it through the first level, Thorn’s Castle, you are required to use the three different elemental warriors to get through the different situations layed out before you.
Floating hints guide you through the level, showing you new ways to use the powers that are at your disposal. We took about thirty minutes to get through the level, as we neglected to read a few of the hints. When we finally made it to the first boss fight, the game was intuitive enough that we had him down within two minutes. Unfortunately, it was all a teaser to whet your appetite! At the end of the level, Kameo loses all of her elemental warrior powers, and begins her journey to regain those powers, along with saving her family.
As a side note, this game is absolutely gorgeous. We loved how spider blood splashed onto the screen whenever we killed one.
After regaining one of the elemental warriors, Kameo is sent to rescue Halis. In this stage, you get a great look at just what the Xbox 360 can do, as hundreds of trolls appear on screen, with Kameo and a newfound friend running them down on their horses. If you remember the 128 Marios demonstration that was used a few years ago, it is similar to that, but amped up many levels. Seeing that many characters onscreen was a joy.
Geometry Wars Evolved Quick Review: Out Of This World
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Retro, Reviews, Xbox 360,
If there is one game that is a bargain in the Xbox 360 launch line up, it has got to be Geometry Wars. You won’t find the game on any store shelf, as it is one of the downloads available in the Xbox Live Marketplace. For 400 points, which equals $5 USD, you get one of the most visually appealing, intense, and addicting games we have ever seen. The “pick up and play” control scheme makes this one enjoyable by just about anyone, and with a group of onlookers, it’s simply a blast - and ridiculously addictive. This is one of those games where, once you die, you go for one more round. Soon, you realize you have been playing for hours on end. For a visual, imagine Asteroids and Robotron mixed together, amped up, and on crack - no, speed. If there was just one game we would tell you to pick up along with your Xbox 360, it would be this one. It’s that good.
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